In case you're wondering why it's so critical that Judge Merrick Garland be confirmed or appointed to the Supreme Court, this is why we should never, ever, ever simply shrug and give up without a fight.
Ohio just tacked on a nasty anti-abortion measure to another bill and rammed it through their legislature in under 10 hours, essentially making government the arbiter of their bodies once a sperm meets an egg.
CNN:
Donald Trump's election, and a presumption that he'll appoint conservative Supreme Court justices, spurred Ohio Republicans to pass what would effectively be the nation's strictest time-based abortion law, a legislator said.
Ohio lawmakers on Tuesday passed a controversial "Heartbeat Bill" that would ban abortions in that state from the moment the heartbeat of a fetus can be detected -- which usually occurs about six weeks into a pregnancy.
What happens next for the bill, which would prohibit such abortions even in cases of rape or incest, depends on Republican Gov. John Kasich, who has 10 days to decide whether to veto the legislation.
Why the rush, Ohio? Well, because they're confident that the Supreme Court will tilt their way, and why shouldn't they be, after all, since everyone seems to want to roll over and whimper about backbone instead of showing some?
"One, a new President, new Supreme Court justice appointees change the dynamic, and that there was a consensus in our caucus to move forward," Ohio Senate President Keith Faber, a Republican from Celina, told reporters after the final vote.
Asked if he thought the bill would survive a legal challenge, he said: "I think it has a better chance than it did before."
Enough, already. Merrick Garland is a good, solid, deliberative judge who bases his opinions on fact and law, not ideological purity. Can we PLEASE make some noise about pushing through this appointment instead of assuming it's just a done deal?
